A bomb attack on a Frontier Corps convoy in Kalat resulted in one soldier being martyred while four others were injured.

According to reports, the attack was a suicide bombing carried out by a woman. Deputy Commissioner Bilal Shabbir told NNI that the target of the attack was an FC wing commander, who remained safe.

The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA-Azad) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to authorities, the convoy was attacked in the Mughalzai area as it travelled from an FC Fort in Kalat to a mess nearby. One vehicle in the convoy was severely damaged but others remained safe.

Police and other authorities immediately reached the area and cordoned it off. The dead and injured were shifted to nearby hospitals.

The martyred soldier has been identified as Lance Naik Attaullah. The injured include Sepoys Vakil, Zayed, Abbas, and Mushtaq. One of the injured men is said to be in a critical state.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi have condemned the attack. Naqvi condoled with the family of the martyred soldier and promised best possible health care for the injured soldier.

This is not the first time a BLA faction has used a female suicide bomber to carry out an attack. A female suicide bomber was involved in an attack on Chinese officials at the University of Karachi in 2022. In 2023, another female suicide bomber, identified as Sumaiya Qalandarani, had attacked an FC vehicle in Turbat, resulting in the martyrdom of one police official.  

According to a recent report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), terrorist attacks increased on a month-on-month basis in February. A total of 74 attacks claimed the lives of 35 soldiers and 20 civilians.

Of these, 24 terrorist attacks were carried out in Balochistan, resulting in the loss of 17 lives, including 11 security officials and six civilians.